The Fires of Passion and Hate
by Guardian Angel101
Summary: Iori can't help but feel a little disappointed. All he wants to do is help. But the young heir only wants to fight. What happened to spark so much anger and hatred in Kyo Kusanagi? Ch. 3 is up YAOI! Kyo/Iori
1. False Victory

False Victory

Iori Yagami's left hand held the front of Kyo Kusanagi's black t-shirt in a tight fist. Squatting over the fallen warrior his fist tugged Kusanagi upward. The warrior had no strength left and so his head was titled backwards and his brunette hair lay lazily over his eyes. Iori held his opponent before him, basking his glory.

They were both a bloody mess Iori noticed as he observed both Kusanagi's and his condition. Blood spilled over Kyo's open lips, cuts across his right cheek were covered in dry blood, and blood dripped down his face through his dirty hair probably from the spot where Yagami had slammed his head into the ground. His pants were blood splattered and torn and his jacket was filthy.

Yagami's condition was a little better off. His clothes were dirty and covered in blood, the blood all being from Kyo… Iori's physical features were much better than that of his rivals. He felt little pain anywhere and the only blood on him that belonged to him came from a cut on his lip. Iori guessed he hadn't felt much pain because he'd entered the Riot of Blood not too long into the fight but thankfully he snapped out of it in time to gloat.

Iori began to question his victory though. Usually Kyo fought a lot harder. Usually the younger fighter won. Usually it was Iori who walked away beaten and bloody. Usually it was Kusanagi who got to bask in the glory. What happened to that? What happened to the smart-ass high school punk?

Realization dawned on Iori. Kyo had barely fought back. Iori was sure that in his rage, he'd left a lot of opportunities for Kusanagi to strike wide open, but Kyo had only gotten in one good hit. **One single hit**! Looking back, it was even in his eyes. Something that told Yagami that Kyo hadn't wanted to fight. No… He **wanted** a fight alright but he didn't want to win. Kusanagi didn't want to survive the fight.

Kyo Kusanagi had let him win.

Suddenly Yagami couldn't bring himself to look at the mess in his fist. His victory was a false one…

Kusanagi coughed. Yagami jumped at the sound and looked back down at Kyo, his red bang sliding into place over his eye. Kyo's face was covered in blood now. The more the man coughed, the more blood conquered his features.

"Jus' kill me…" Kusanagi gargled.

Pity struck Yagami hard. What could possibly make a warrior like this want death? "Kusanagi…. You let me win."

There was no response.

Iori took that as a yes and slowly released his grip on the younger fighters' black t-shirt and let him gently hit the ground. Iori than stood and kept his eyes on the wounded man.

Why was he doing this? Why did Kyo want to die so badly? Was it because of the feud? Iori loved to fight Kyo but he no longer fought the man because of some feud, he fought Kyo because Kyo was his equal. Iori had dropped his hatred of Kyo long ago and let it be replaced by other feelings that had been hidden in his subconscious the entire time: respect, love, and curiosity.

"Kusanagi…"

Kyo's tired chocolate eyes stared back up at him. His lips began to move but no sound came out.

Iori forced himself to look away from the pitiful man lying on the wet ground begging to die. He forced himself to look the other way. To keep himself distracted he observed the condition of the back alley they'd fought in. Blood spotted the walls here and there, the dumpsters were bent up, trash cans lay knocked on their sides, and trash was thrown just about everywhere.

"Yagami!!" Kyo's angry weak voice echoed through the alley and Iori's thoughts.

Iori slowly brought his eyes to meet his.

"Wha' are you…. Waiting for…." Kyo's voice was choked and his breath was ragged, it was obviously a struggle for Kyo to speak, let alone stay conscious.

Yagami stood silently staring down at the pathetic Kusanagi heir. He'd always wanted this. To kill Kyo. That's what he had been told and raised to do. That is what he suffered through harsh physical training for. That is what his family wanted him to do. Pheh! The family no longer held any interest to him, nor their wishes.

Yagami stepped over Kyo, shoved his hands into his skin tight, dirty red pants, lowered his head so his red hair hung in place over his eye, and closed his golden eyes. The exit of the beaten alley and Kyo's presence was his goal.

Kyo rolled onto his side, groaning with the effort, coughed and called after the red-head. "Where are you going?! Aren't you gonna finish me?!" A spasm of coughs broke the wounded man's speech off and velvet red blood splashed onto the gray concrete. "You waited… all this time…but you can't even *cough* finish me? What's wrong Yagami?! Don't want my blood on your hands Yagami?! HUH??"

More of his bloody coughs filled the night air and echoed down the alley.

Iori stopped dead in his tracks. He'd began to leave with the intention of leaving Kyo in the back alley to die to be found by some passer-by the next morning, but now in his heart, the part of his heart left undamaged by ex-girlfriend and his ridiculous father, screamed at him.

"Don't leave this man here to die!" It screamed. "This is exactly what your father would want!"

Before Yagami knew it was happening, he was at Kyo's side. "Oi! Kusanagi!"

Upon observation, Iori learned that the young fighter had finally succumbed to the pain and was now laying face down, unconscious on the filthy cracked ground. Yagami clicked his tongue and scooped the injured man up into his arms.

With a slight grin on his face that did not resemble his usual bloodthirsty one, Yagami left the alley with Kyo.


	2. Scars

Scars

Kyo awoke in a heap of pain and bandages in a room that was not his own as well as an unfamiliar old mattress. Kyo took a look at himself to see how bad he actually looked. He hurt like hell but he didn't look half that bad. His ribs were neatly bandaged and a quick touch of his head revealed that another cloth had been wrapped around his head and there was a small band-aide on his right cheek. His shirt, shoes, and gloves had been the only articles of clothing removed in order to treat his wounds. Whoever had helped him, obviously knew a bit about first aid.

Who had rescued him? That was Kyo's only concern at the moment. Yuki didn't matter, his worried mother had left his thoughts, and his hard-ass father was completely off his mind. All he wanted to know was who had helped him and why? Most people in this day and age would leave a complete stranger lying unconscious in a back alley, bleeding or not, to die or let someone else pick up the trash.

Trash…. Kyo sighed. That was the last thing his father had called him before he'd left home this morning, yesterday morning? That was the reason he'd left home.

Saisyu Kusanagi didn't like the fact that Iori Yagami was still alive, didn't like the fact that Kyo hadn't been to school in years, or that Kyo had skipped training that morning. Saisyu Kusanagi didn't like anything about his only son lately. He was always complaining about the way Kyo did something or something his son had said. So Kyo left without a good-bye to his mother or his girlfriend. The last person to see him was his father. No… Yagami was the last person to see him alive.

Yagami…. Kyo couldn't stop the sigh from arising. Yagami left him alive and he couldn't help but wonder why? Why would Iori Yagami waste such a perfect chance? What use could he possibly have for letting him live? Yagami was supposed to kill him. That's what he wanted right? He was raised the same way Kyo was, kill the other because he will try to kill you. Isn't that what they said? So why would Iori leave him alive?

Concerned about his whereabouts, Kyo tossed the blankets off of his legs. He noticed he was still wearing the bloody, dirty blue jeans he'd fought in. Kyo sighed at that and suddenly wished for clean clothes. He remembered his goal though and stood painfully out of the bed, his left arm instinctively wrapped around himself.

Kyo let himself lean against the wall for the support he would need if he was going to walk anywhere. The bedroom didn't have a door, he noticed. An almost transparent screen separated the bedroom from the room on the other side. The screen left a gap between it and the wall which served as the small bedroom's entry.

Kyo reached the bedroom's entry and wasn't surprised to see a living room on the other side. It appeared to be the biggest room in the apartment. It and the kitchen were linked, separated solely by the little island with barstools in front of it. There was a rather small television set up against the wall to Kyo's left and in front of it was a dirty, red old couch. A hallway stretched down to his left, along its walls were three entries: a gap to enter the kitchen, a door to enter a room Kyo guessed had to be the bathroom was across from the kitchens gap, and finally there was the main entrance, Kyo guessed, at the very end of the hall looking in Kyo's direction.

Kyo winced and groaned as a sudden tremor of pain ripped through his weary body. He looked to the couch and back around the apartment one more time. Whoever lived here was apparently not home. Amazing how someone can leave a complete stranger inside their home alone. Another tremor told Kyo it was time to sit and rest again so he sat on the old couch, the springs squeaking as he did so, titled his head back and closed his eyes.

Kyo didn't bother turning on the television. For one, he figured it wouldn't work with the condition the rest of the apartment was in and then again, maybe it would work, but Kyo's thoughts were enough to entertain him for now.

Iori Yagami shut the door quietly, conscious of the quest he now had badly injured in his bed. He was also aware that as soon as Kyo found out who had helped him, he wouldn't be happy and would most likely attack Iori. Iori wasn't really in the mood to deal with Kyo's little hissy fit, so he kept his noise to a minimum.

Iori turned to look into the living room and felt his heart skip a beat. He could see Kyo's brunette hair from here. Kyo was now on his couch… So, the little warrior had gotten up. Iori grinned as he set his bass case against the wall next to the entrance, slid off his shoes, and walked slowly into the living room. Iori stood beside the couch, beside Kyo, and waited.

Much to Yagami's surprise, nothing happened. There was no voice yelling his name in shock and anger. There were no crimson flames smothering him. There was nothing but a quiet meow.

Yagami looked down at Kyo to see that he was sound asleep and that there was a tiny grey and white kitten curled into a ball on Kyo's lap looking up sleepily from her nap. Iori smiled down at the little creature.

"Hey there Schitzo. Found yourself a new spot, eh?" Iori grinned at the kitten as it yawned then stretched its little arms and paws in Kyo's lap.

Iori took a seat on the opposite end of the couch after he'd realized that Kyo was not going to wake up any time soon. Iori then turned his television on and turned the volume down so low he could barely hear it himself. Some silly little detective show was on and Iori wasn't truly interested in it.

Upon hearing a soft murmur of sleep talk, Iori's attention drifted to Kyo. In his sleep, Kyo looked unusually vulnerable. Every muscle in his toned body was relaxed and at ease, not at all how he looked when he was awake.

Iori noticed that numerous scars lined the young fighters' body; some fresh, some old. Across his arms most were fading, but as Iori looked more towards Kyo's chest and shoulders the scars became whiter, obviously those were some of the most recent. These scars were nothing unusual; some tiny little lines others long and wide from a seemingly more severe injury. Nothing to stare at really, every fighter had these little reminders of past failures and victories. Scars were there to remind fighters of the sacrifices they had to make, of the pain and suffering they had to endure to get to a certain stage, as well as remind them that they would suffer more in the future.

Iori even had his fair share of scars, some visible like Kyo's but most of his scars were hidden inside his memories and thoughts. Iori knew for sure Kyo had his own hidden scars as well. That was just one more thing the two had in common.


	3. Wanting

Jumbled

Kyo's muscles were suddenly tense; drawing Iori's eyes away from the history that lined Kyo's body to the angry, all too aware brown eyes that belonged to the man Iori had saved. Iori felt himself go a little paler at that look in Kusanagi's eyes.

Through grinding teeth, Kyo hissed, anger like venom in every word. "**What**. **The** **fuck**. **Are you**.** Looking**.** At**?"

Iori's eyes drifted down at the sudden movement of Kyo clenching his right fist, which Iori was sure Kyo was itching to use, but Iori played it cool. "Just checking out your scar collection. Bet I gave you most of those, huh Kusanagi?"

"Bastard!" Kyo yelled leaping up to throw a punch at Yagami.

Schitzo was sent flying from Kyo's lap with a surprised meow that ended in a very pissed off hiss. Iori grabbed Kyo's fist just as soon as it was close enough. Iori wanted to avoid a fight, Kyo was already hurt; fighting would only worsen his injuries. A grunt of pain escaped Kyo's lips as soon as he had leapt at Iori.

Unable to keep his balance as he instinctively grabbed his side, Kyo collapsed against Iori. Not expecting Kyo to suddenly fall, Iori fell back against the couch. Now they lay awkwardly across the couch, Kyo atop Iori. Kyo's face was pressed into the red heads shoulder which helped to muffle his grunts and groans of pain. Kyo's fist was still in Iori's closed hand, Iori being too shocked to release his grip on the younger fighters' hand. Kyo's other hand was still laying across his abdomen which was only lying a very few centimeters away from Iori's pants zipper, as Iori thought about this he felt his muscles stiffen. Iori also became aware that his legs were on either side of Kyo's, one hanging off the couch and the other pinned between Kyo's thigh and the cushion of the back of the couch. Iori's left hand, he noticed, was touching the warm bare skin of Kyo's hip, the low rise jeans of Kyo's and tumble which had tugged up on his shirt had left this small spot open.

Iori was too shocked to move. He was waiting for something to happen. Perhaps Kyo get up for another attempt at a fight? Or maybe he was hoping Kyo wouldn't move but instead… Iori shook his head to rid himself of **that** thought.

"What the fuck are you thinking, Iori? Kusanagi only wants to kill you not-" Iori paused in his thoughts. "Why am I so interested in him all of a sudden?"

Iori's heart was pounding as he realized that this was not happening suddenly. Iori had wanted Kyo years ago. Wanting Kyo was the reason he cast off his family name and left the Yagami clan. Wanting this man was the reason he could live with being branded a traitor. But… Being hated by this man… That was painful. That was something he couldn't live with; as a Yagami or a traitor.

Iori felt Kyo's breathing and heartbeat slow, and Iori felt Kyo relax again, making the red-head even tenser. Was Kusanagi doing this on purpose or was he unconscious? Iori couldn't tell at this point but either way he needed to stop Kyo. His sanity depended on it. Iori's no fool. Iori knows that there is no way in the seven levels of hell that Kyo would ever care for him. Not in the way **he** wants anyways…

Kyo's head shifted and suddenly Iori could feel the younger mans calm, warm breathe wash over his delicate neck. This made Iori's heart jump and his stomach flutter; he couldn't even stop a quiet sigh from escaping his traitorous lips. Iori felt his hand travel caressingly up Kyo's side and stop the instant he realized it.

"Kusanagi."

There was no response, not even a quickening of the heart beat or a quickening in his breathing. Iori was struggling to calm himself down, looking all around the room, even biting down on his own lips. The lack of response from Kyo made things hard on Iori.

Iori called again, harsher. "Kyo."

Yet again, no response. Iori was beginning to think Kyo was indeed unconscious. Iori suddenly felt Kyo clench his fist in Iori's hand but he quickly released it again. It was like Kyo had twitched.

Iori chuckled at the thought, but froze again when Kyo's hand moved for the briefest moment. Kyo tried to move his hand out from underneath his own weight, brushing his fingers lightly, for a second, against Iori's most private area. Iori felt his breath catch and heat rise to his face as anger flowed through him.

"Kusanagi, if you don't get the fuck off me, I'm gonna-!" Iori yelled out of anger at the pleasure he was getting from this.

Kyo broke into a fit of coughs and grunts of pain, distracting Iori from himself. After his fit was over, Kyo was back to the same limp body he had been before. Despite himself, Iori began to worry.

"Kyo, get up." Iori said softly against Kyo's hair.

Once again, Kyo didn't respond.

Iori knew now that Kyo was hurt worse than either of them had guessed. Afraid he would hurt the fighter even worse, Iori slowly, keeping his movement to a minimum, released Kyo's hand and brought his own to rest at the spot between Kyo's shoulders. He rolled onto his right side, letting Kyo slowly rest his full weight on Iori's hand. With Kyo's legs now dangerously close to falling off the tattered old couch, Iori sat up and slid his left hand under Kyo's legs and as gently as the red-head could muster, he lifted the wounded warrior into his arms.

Iori took Kyo back to the bed again and laid him back down on top of the blankets. If Kyo was going to attack him like that for no reason other then the stupid feud, Iori felt he could let Kyo freeze until he woke up and pulled **himself** under the blankets.

With a look of annoyance on his face, Iori headed back to the living room. He sat back down on the couch and rubbed a tired hand across his face. The red-heads thoughts were a jumble of emotions. Schitzo jumped back up onto the couch and walked in a small circle, all the while her tiny little eyes watched Iori with a look that said she was none too happy with him.


End file.
